Machine for printing from engraved plates or dies



Jan. 3; 1928. I 1,655,000

F. WAlTE mourns FOR PRINTING FROM ENGRAVED PLATES on DIES Filed June 15, 1922 s Sheet S-Sheet i Jan. 3, 1928. 1,655,000

F. WAITE MACHINE FOR PRINTING FROM ENGRAVED PLATES OR DIES Filed June 1 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 3, 1928.

' 1,655,000 F. WAITE MACHINE FOR PRINTING. FROM ENGRAVED PLATES 0R DIES Filed Jxhne 15, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 4 max;

Patented Jan. 3, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRED VI'AZ'EJE, OF O'ZLEY, ENGLAND.

MACHINE FOR ERINTING FROM ENGRAVED PLATES OR DIES.

Application filed June 15, 1922, Serial No. 568,565, and in Great Britain June 22, 1921.

My invention r lates to printing machines wherein dies or engraved plates are used to carry out the printing process and it consists in the employment of improved means of a novel character for ren'ioving the superfluous ink that has been placed upon the engraved or printin surface during the inking process as is well known.

Heretofore the devices made use of have consisted of metal scrapers over or under which the engraved surfaces have been moved so that same might scrape away the superfluous ink and in those dies where any irregularity in the die surface has occurred the said metal scraper often fails to act as effectively as is desired.

My present invention consists in an improved formation and arrangement of blades or scrapers, their bearings and supports and the method of operating same whereby I am enabled to secure more desirable results than heretofore. V

In order that my said invention may be readily understood; I have hereunto appended sheets of drawings illustrative thereof, to which by figures and letters, reference is made in the following description.

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of sufficient of a printing machine to show the ap plication thereto of my improved devices.

Fig. 2 is a view of the same machine as seen looking from left to right of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2 but only shows a portion of the upper part of the machine and that dr wn to an enlarged scale.

Figs. f and 5 are also drawn to an enlarged scale as compared with Figs. 1 and 2 and illustrate two positions assumed by the improved shaving devices as is hereinafter explained.

A indicates the end frames of the machine. In carrying out the invention instead of making use of a metal blade in the form of a scraper to be held at the usual trailing angle to the path in which the engraved surface of the die moves during the removal of the superfluous ink therefrom, I provide a blade 2 which is mounted and arranged to shave instead of to scrape the lower surface a of the die 2-3, as said die moves over said blade 2 after the inking operations and in the direction indicated by the arrow 6, thus instead of the blade 2 having its edge at an acute angle to the plane of the die when in contact therewith. I arrange its leading edge in the direction shown by Figs. 1, d and 5 so that the whole body of the said blade 2 resists and opposes the die when moving against same in the direction shown by the arrow 1), thus said blade 2 receives the thrust of the die 3 and therefore acts as a blade for shaving off the superfluous ink as the die 3 moves, by which arrangement I am enabled to make use of blades 2 which are sufficiently flexible to conform to any irregularity of the die surface because said blades 2 are supported by their body parts and are in the best positions to withstand the thrust upon their edges. lVhereas in the former arrangement as heretofore followed where they (said blades) act as scrapers, each blade has had to be so rigid in order to remove the thick ink used in printing from engraved dies that its flexibility is greatly interfered with.

When 1 make use of blades 2 which are arranged to shave off the superfluous ink as above described I actuate the inking rollers in such manner that a narrow portion (say as shown c by Fig. 5) of the leading edge of the die 3 is leftelean or free of ink and I arrange the edge of the blade 2 to be so carried by its supports or hinged bearings i that its shaving edge is held clear of the edge of the die 3 unti said edge is moved for a short space beyond it when the blade 2 is then put into contact with the die in the position shown by Fig. 5 which is in position for commencing its shaving actions just in front of the part where the ink has been placed upon the die.

The bearings 4: are mounted upon lever arms 4 which are fixed upon the well known oscillating shaft i" which derives its motion from appropriate cam mechanism in the usual manner.

In order to operate the blades 2 and bring same into position as hereinbefore described I make use of mechanism which includes the cam 5 mounted upon any appropriate shaft 6 of the machine levers 7 and 7 fixed to a single rock shaft, and a connecting rod 8 connecting the lever 7 with an arm rigidly connected with the blade 2. The cam is adapted, through the medium of the levers 7 and 7 to actuate (by the larger part f of its diameter) the connecting rod 8 in order to cause the hinged or swivelling bearings 4, upon which the blade 2 is mounted, to move in such direction as to bring the edge of the blade 2 to be clear of the die 3 when the cam portion 7" is clear of the runner d on the lever 7 as shown by Fig. 1, this position of the blade 2 being shown by Fig. 4. Then the cam 5 moves forward so that its larger diameter or raised portion 7 leaves contact with the runner d on the lever 7 (as said cam rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 9) a spring 9 is permitted to recoil and so cause the bearings at to move about their pivotal centre to bring the shearing edge of the blade 2 against the surface a of the die 3 as shown by Fig. 5.

In'addition to making use of the earn 5 and the parts which it actuates as described to carry out the operations of the blade 2, I also make use of a dog or tappet it: over the straight and inclined surface of which the runner 2) travels. This runner g) is carried by the bearings 4t so that as the arms 4 oscillate it is moved backward and forward over the surface of the tappet it which surface will at one part keep the blade 2 clear of the die 3 as shown by Fig. 4, while by the oscillation of the arms 4 the runner 79 moves forward and descends the inclined part so that the blade 2 is brought into position against the die 3 as is shownby Fig. 5. By bevelling or forming the leading edge of the die 3 of an inclined shape I might'dispense with the tappet 29; however I prefer to make use of same.

'It will be seen that the blade 2 is moved so that it is brought into contact with the surface a of the die 3 at one time and moved out of contact therewith at another time by the devices explained. To transmit reciprocatory motion to said blade 2 in the direction of its length, that is to say, during the time that the die 3 is travelling over the blade 2, said blade is moved crosswise the die to give additional shearing action to said blade so as to effect the clearing away or shaving off of the superfluous ink more 7 efl ectively and under better conditions than would be the case provided the blades 2 were merely held in position and the whole of the shearing actions were performed by the movement of the die alone.

To secure said longitudinal movements of the bearings t and blade 2, the shaft 4* upon which the several parts are mounted is made so that it may slide longitudinally through its end bearings 10" and 10" which are supported by the framework A. The said shaft has a fork or slotted lever 11 spanning it and engaging with a hoop 11 on one side and the hub of the supports t on the other side so that by said lever 11 being pivoted at it upon bearings fixed to the end frame A, on the crank pin 12 revolving the anti friction bowl carried by said crank pin 12 will move withinthe slot 711 in the end of the lever 11 and therefore cause said lever 11 to oscillate and cause the shaft l to reciprocate longitudinally.

The crank pin 12 is mounted upon a hub 12 fixed upon a horizontal shaft 13 which derives its motion from the shaft lt through the medium of the worm 1 5 and wheel 16 or through a pair of screw wheels, said shaft 14 being rotated from any motor part of the machine as will be understood.

Such being the nature and object of my said invention, what I claim is 1. In a mechanism for printing from an engraved plate or die, the combination with a reciprocating plate or die holder, and a blade bodily movable to and from a position to have edge contact with the ink receiving surface of a plate or die in said holder while the latter is moving, of means for insuring that the inital contact between the blade and surface of the plate or die shall be at a predetermined distance from the edge of the plate or die adjacent the blade when the holder is returning from inking position.

2. In a mechanism for printing from an engraved plate or die, the combination with a reciprocating plate or die holder, and a flexible blade bodily movable toward and from a position to have edge contact with the ink receiving surface of a plate or die in said holder while the latter is moving, the blade being inclined relative to the path of reciprocation of the holder whereby it will remove superfluous ink from the face of the plate by a shaving action as the holder moves from inking position, of means for preventing contact of the blade with the plate or die in the holder until by movement of the holder from inking position the forward edge of the plate or die has passed beyond the operative edge of the blade.

3. In a mechanism for printing from an engraved plate or die, the combination with a reciprocating holder adapted to support a printing plate or die. and a blade bodily movable to and from a position to have edge contact with the ink receiving surface of a plate or die in said holder while the latter is moving, means acting to maintain the blade in the path of movement of the plate or die, and means including a member moving with the holder for positively moving the blade away from thepath of the plate or die during the portion of the movement of the holder from inking position when the forward edge of the plate orfdie is passing the operative edge of the blade.

4. In a mechanism for printing from an engraved plate or die, the combination with a reciprocating holder adapted to support a printing plate or die with its operative surface directed downward, and a blade bodily rnpvahle to and from a position to have edge Contact With the lower ink receiving surface of the plate or die in said holder While the latter is moving means acting to maintain the operative edge of the blade in the path of movement of the plate or die and means including a member moving with the holder for positively depressing the blade during that portion of the movement of the holder from inking position when the for- Ward edge of the plate or die is passing the operative edge of the blade.

FRED XVAITE. 

